By Maggie Downs
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The L'Oreal plant in Florence, which manufactures hair-care products, has found a unique use for the shampoo that would normally be trashed. It's still sent to the landfill. But instead of being buried as garbage, the fragrant suds are sprinkled atop the waste to sweeten the stench.

The company also recycles 91.57 percent of its waste - everything from plastic, metal and wood to office paper.

ABOUT EARTH DAY

• Earth Day, celebrated April 22 each year, marks the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. • Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. senator from Wisconsin, proposed the first nationwide environmental protest "to shake up the political establishment and force this issue onto the national agenda" in 1970. On April 22, 20 million Americans participated in coast-to-coast rallies, and thousands of colleges organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. • The first Earth Day led to the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species acts. • In 1990, Earth Day went global, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries. • Source: Earth Day Network

"We strive to not send anything to the landfill," said Christy Frey, supervisor of safety, health and environment. "A lot of companies are aware of what they do now. It's becoming increasingly important as people start realizing what we're really doing to the Earth."

As Earth Day approaches Tuesday, many businesses are making significant efforts to help the planet - a point driven home Saturday at the Earth Day celebration at Sawyer Point.

In between listening to bands, eating and being environmentally friendly, the crowd browsed among more than 40 exhibitors - most of which were businesses boasting eco-effective practices.

Representatives from Toyota were on hand to show off the Prius, a gasoline/electric hybrid vehicle that was introduced in August 2000. "It's good to make cars, but being responsible about what you do to the planet is even better," said Debbie Finnell, associate environmental staffer. "Consumers notice that, too."

The Glass ReFactory in Georgetown has elevated recycling into a work of art.

The nonprofit business sorts recycled glass by color, crushes it, then heats it to about 2,000 degrees. The hot glass is cut and pressed into a mold. And just like that, the former beer, wine and juice bottles are transformed into suncatchers.

The business is part of Adams Brown Recycling Station, a private, nonprofit recycler serving Adams, Brown and Clermont counties.

"The goal was always to come up with a way to use the materials people normally throw away and turn it into something people can buy," said Stephen Adams, manager.

Another nonprofit business, Nu-Blend Paints in Over-the-Rhine, takes one person's trash and turns it into another's paint.

The company gathers unused latex paint - leftovers from commercial painters, mistints from home improvement centers, even the cans from somebody's garage. The paint is sorted by color, treated with a bacteriacide and re-blended into more favorable colors that are repackaged and sold.

Last year, the company rescued 100 tons of paint that otherwise would have been landfill fodder.

"Customers are looking for things that are friendlier to the Earth, especially if they get a good product," said Bill Wojcik, executive director. "If the product is the same, but the choice is between something environmentally-safe and something that's not, the customer will go for the one that's better for the planet."

The "One Earth - One Chance" Earth Day celebration, hosted by the Greater Cincinnati Earth Coalition, also involved a number of environmental groups, government agencies and vendors."We just want to bring awareness to people," said Adrienne Hardesty of Mount Auburn, founder of EarthSave Cincinnati, a group that promotes a plant-based diet.

"We might only affect a couple people, but that's all it takes to make a difference. Then they'll go out into their community and make a change."

E-mail mdowns@enquirer.com

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